Dr. Karen Woodson

ELL Expert and Leader
Dr. Karen Woodson

Dr. Karen Woodson is an expert in leadership issues related to English language learners (ELLs).

In this interview with Colorín Colorado, she discusses the steps she and her school staff took to turn around their high-impact ELL school and create a more equitable, effective model of instruction.

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Biography

Dr. Karen Woodson is a retired Principal of a high-EL impact Title 1 elementary school. A veteran in public education with over 35 years of service as a teacher, instructional specialist and district wide EL Program Director, Dr. Woodson holds graduate degrees in Applied Linguistics and has taught a range of courses at the elementary and secondary levels, including reading, Spanish, English as a Foreign Language, and exploratory courses in Japanese, French, Italian and German. Dr. Woodson has also taught graduate courses in Applied Linguistics, English Grammar, Spanish, Foreign Language Teaching Methods and ESOL Teaching Methodology at several major universities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

An expert in second language acquisition and district level program administration, Dr. Woodson's current efforts focus on creating equitable conditions for English learners in schools, English learner centered school improvement strategies, and Baldrige guided strategic planning. Dr. Woodson is also the Founder of Leading for School Improvement, which specializes in EL-centered school improvement solutions for high-EL impact schools.